Son, birth mother reunited in life, faith

Brandon Vaughan met his birth mother, Cheryl Culpepper, 27 years after she gave him up for adoption.

Photo provided by brandon Vaughan

By Morgan TaylorSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 9:13 p.m.

After giving her son up for adoption, Cheryl Culpepper never anticipated that 27 years later she would meet her firstborn son.

Her son, Brandon Vaughan said he was adopted by good parents who gave him a good life. Vaughan said he never felt the desire to find his birth mother until his son was born about five years ago.

“I was just comfortable with who God made me,” said Vaughan, who is associate pastor of Little Sandy Baptist Church.

Vaughan said the birth of his son quickly showed him how strong the bond of motherhood is.

The nurses took his newborn son into the nursery after delivery so his wife could rest. Thirty minutes later, Vaughan said his wife kept crying and pleading for her son, who was only two doors down the hallway. When their son was brought back into the delivery room, she held onto their son so tightly, as if she hadn't seen him in years, he said.

Culpepper said she gave Vaughan up for adoption when she was only a teenager. Culpepper said she didn't even get the chance to hold her first child.

“When I saw my son and saw how much it affected my wife being away from him for 30 minutes, I realized it might have tormented (Culpepper's) entire life,” Vaughan said.

“In 2008, it was the first time I made any attempt to find her. I knew my only shot at finding her was through the adoption agency, which was in Jacksonville, Fla., where I was born,” Vaughan said.

Vaughan quickly lost all hope when he was told that, according to Florida law, Culpepper's file was sealed for 99 years.

“I just thought it wasn't in God's will, that door was shut so tightly. I just gave up cold turkey,” Vaughan said.

“About three years later ... the Lord put it in my heart to find her one more time,” Vaughan said.

He remembered some unidentified information papers that his adoptive mother had shown him when he was a teenager, but she was unable to relocate those papers, so Vaughan called the adoption agency for a copy. A year passed without any word.

“Almost a year later, January of 2012, I got a call out of the blue and I didn't recognize it so I almost didn't answer, but when I did, they said they were from the adoption agency and that they were so sorry,” Vaughan said.

The adoption agency employee informed Vaughan they discovered his birth mother's file after cleaning around the office. It had fallen behind a filing cabinet.

“This lady was different than anyone who I had ever spoken to at the agency. You could tell she really wanted to help me, and instead of just sending the unidentified information, that lady sent me a package of handwritten paperwork from my birth mother,” Vaughan said.

The employee from the adoption agency strategically blacked out most of the information with a Sharpie marker, but Vaughan was able to make out her name, that she graduated in 1983 and that she had a brother named Douglas Heath.

Vaughan conducted a search for Douglas Heath and came across one who had an old address in Florida (where he was originally born), and a sister named Cheryl. The $30 dollar background check revealed that Douglas Heath had two half-brothers and a half-sister.

Vaughan said the greatest moment of his life was when he did a Facebook search for his half-sister, Amber, and stumbled upon a graduation picture of her in her cap and gown, standing between her two brothers and their mother.

Vaughan asked his wife to help and to also be the mediator between himself and his birth mother. His wife was finally able to get in contact with Culpepper's husband, who was reluctant to reveal her contact information. Vaughan's wife told Culpepper's husband it was a family emergency.

“Does this have something to do with 1984?” Culpepper's husband asked.

The first conversation Vaughan had with his birth mother in 27 years was a melting pot of emotions, Vaughan said.

“I never thought about what I would do in that particular moment if it ever happened and I had three other children who didn't know,” Culpepper said.

After telling her children about their half-brother who lived in Alabama, Culpepper made that first phone call to her firstborn son.

“We talked about four hours, laughing and crying and catching up on 27 years,” Vaughan said.

The two families welcomed one another, and they visit each other often. The first time Culpepper came to visit Alabama, she asked Vaughan if she could meet his adopted mother, Glenda Vaughan. When the two met, Culpepper thanked Glenda for doing what she couldn't do and Glenda gave Culpepper Brandon's outfit when he came home from the adoption agency. They hugged and cried.

The more Culpepper came to visit Vaughan, the more questions she had about the Christian faith.

“Growing up, my grandparents took me to church quite often, but what they taught never really stuck with me and, of course, the dysfunctional family I grew up with didn't support going to church and my life didn't really focus on belief and faith,” Culpepper said.

“She had questions about my faith and I would answer them, but they never really registered,” Vaughan said.

Culpepper says before meeting Brandon, she always had an interest in faith and wanted to believe, but it wasn't until they met and started going to services together that she began to accept Christianity.

One Labor Day weekend, Culpepper visited Vaughan and before church that Sunday she found a book on his shelf labeled, “Eternal Security, Being Saved and Knowing It.”

“I asked him what it means to be saved and he explained it to me in a way I never heard before. ... What he said to me made a light go on and it kind of scared me, but we stopped talking about it,” Culpepper said.

Culpepper says that day at church she couldn't keep her composure, all she could do was cry.

“She left the sanctuary to talk to my pastor's wife and when she was done, she had that glow to her that saved folks have to them. She seemed alive,” Vaughan said.

Culpepper said that was the moment she committed to the Lord.

“I absolutely know that God orchestrated the entire thing, this is no surprise to God. ... It was time for him to bring us back together. Through our testimony we are able to bring others to the Christian faith,” Culpepper said.

“God knew in 1984, well before 1984, that all this was going to happen. If you give him your life there is no telling what he can do with it,” Vaughan said.

Vaughan has self-published a book, “Reconciled,” which tells the story of his search for his birth mother. The book is available locally at Barnes & Noble or online at amazon.com.

<p>After giving her son up for adoption, Cheryl Culpepper never anticipated that 27 years later she would meet her firstborn son.</p><p>Her son, Brandon Vaughan said he was adopted by good parents who gave him a good life. Vaughan said he never felt the desire to find his birth mother until his son was born about five years ago.</p><p>“I was just comfortable with who God made me,” said Vaughan, who is associate pastor of Little Sandy Baptist Church.</p><p>Vaughan said the birth of his son quickly showed him how strong the bond of motherhood is.</p><p>The nurses took his newborn son into the nursery after delivery so his wife could rest. Thirty minutes later, Vaughan said his wife kept crying and pleading for her son, who was only two doors down the hallway. When their son was brought back into the delivery room, she held onto their son so tightly, as if she hadn't seen him in years, he said.</p><p>Culpepper said she gave Vaughan up for adoption when she was only a teenager. Culpepper said she didn't even get the chance to hold her first child.</p><p>“When I saw my son and saw how much it affected my wife being away from him for 30 minutes, I realized it might have tormented (Culpepper's) entire life,” Vaughan said.</p><p>“In 2008, it was the first time I made any attempt to find her. I knew my only shot at finding her was through the adoption agency, which was in Jacksonville, Fla., where I was born,” Vaughan said.</p><p>Vaughan quickly lost all hope when he was told that, according to Florida law, Culpepper's file was sealed for 99 years.</p><p>“I just thought it wasn't in God's will, that door was shut so tightly. I just gave up cold turkey,” Vaughan said.</p><p>“About three years later ... the Lord put it in my heart to find her one more time,” Vaughan said.</p><p>He remembered some unidentified information papers that his adoptive mother had shown him when he was a teenager, but she was unable to relocate those papers, so Vaughan called the adoption agency for a copy. A year passed without any word.</p><p>“Almost a year later, January of 2012, I got a call out of the blue and I didn't recognize it so I almost didn't answer, but when I did, they said they were from the adoption agency and that they were so sorry,” Vaughan said.</p><p>The adoption agency employee informed Vaughan they discovered his birth mother's file after cleaning around the office. It had fallen behind a filing cabinet.</p><p>“This lady was different than anyone who I had ever spoken to at the agency. You could tell she really wanted to help me, and instead of just sending the unidentified information, that lady sent me a package of handwritten paperwork from my birth mother,” Vaughan said.</p><p>The employee from the adoption agency strategically blacked out most of the information with a Sharpie marker, but Vaughan was able to make out her name, that she graduated in 1983 and that she had a brother named Douglas Heath.</p><p>Vaughan conducted a search for Douglas Heath and came across one who had an old address in Florida (where he was originally born), and a sister named Cheryl. The $30 dollar background check revealed that Douglas Heath had two half-brothers and a half-sister.</p><p>Vaughan said the greatest moment of his life was when he did a Facebook search for his half-sister, Amber, and stumbled upon a graduation picture of her in her cap and gown, standing between her two brothers and their mother.</p><p>Vaughan asked his wife to help and to also be the mediator between himself and his birth mother. His wife was finally able to get in contact with Culpepper's husband, who was reluctant to reveal her contact information. Vaughan's wife told Culpepper's husband it was a family emergency.</p><p>“Does this have something to do with 1984?” Culpepper's husband asked.</p><p>The first conversation Vaughan had with his birth mother in 27 years was a melting pot of emotions, Vaughan said.</p><p>“I never thought about what I would do in that particular moment if it ever happened and I had three other children who didn't know,” Culpepper said.</p><p>After telling her children about their half-brother who lived in Alabama, Culpepper made that first phone call to her firstborn son.</p><p>“We talked about four hours, laughing and crying and catching up on 27 years,” Vaughan said.</p><p>The two families welcomed one another, and they visit each other often. The first time Culpepper came to visit Alabama, she asked Vaughan if she could meet his adopted mother, Glenda Vaughan. When the two met, Culpepper thanked Glenda for doing what she couldn't do and Glenda gave Culpepper Brandon's outfit when he came home from the adoption agency. They hugged and cried. </p><p>The more Culpepper came to visit Vaughan, the more questions she had about the Christian faith.</p><p>“Growing up, my grandparents took me to church quite often, but what they taught never really stuck with me and, of course, the dysfunctional family I grew up with didn't support going to church and my life didn't really focus on belief and faith,” Culpepper said.</p><p>“She had questions about my faith and I would answer them, but they never really registered,” Vaughan said.</p><p>Culpepper says before meeting Brandon, she always had an interest in faith and wanted to believe, but it wasn't until they met and started going to services together that she began to accept Christianity.</p><p>One Labor Day weekend, Culpepper visited Vaughan and before church that Sunday she found a book on his shelf labeled, “Eternal Security, Being Saved and Knowing It.”</p><p>“I asked him what it means to be saved and he explained it to me in a way I never heard before. ... What he said to me made a light go on and it kind of scared me, but we stopped talking about it,” Culpepper said.</p><p>Culpepper says that day at church she couldn't keep her composure, all she could do was cry.</p><p>“She left the sanctuary to talk to my pastor's wife and when she was done, she had that glow to her that saved folks have to them. She seemed alive,” Vaughan said.</p><p>Culpepper said that was the moment she committed to the Lord. </p><p>“I absolutely know that God orchestrated the entire thing, this is no surprise to God. ... It was time for him to bring us back together. Through our testimony we are able to bring others to the Christian faith,” Culpepper said.</p><p>“God knew in 1984, well before 1984, that all this was going to happen. If you give him your life there is no telling what he can do with it,” Vaughan said.</p><p>Vaughan has self-published a book, “Reconciled,” which tells the story of his search for his birth mother. The book is available locally at Barnes & Noble or online at amazon.com.</p>